Race and ethnicity in Colombia
Race and ethnicity in Colombia descend mainly from three racial groups—Europeans, Amerindians, and Africans—that have mixed throughout the last 500 years of the country's history. Some demographers describe Colombia as one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the Western Hemisphere and in the World, with 900 different ethnic groups. Most Colombians identify themselves and others according to ancestry, physical appearance, and sociocultural status. Social relations reflect the importance attached to certain characteristics associated with a given racial group. Although these characteristics no longer accurately differentiate social categories, they still contribute to one's rank in the social hierarchy. A study from Rojas et al involving 15 departments determined that the average Colombian (of all races) has a mixture of 48.8% Amerindian 40.2% European, and 11% African.[2] These proportions also vary widely among ethnicities.
Racial/ethnic groups and their frequency
Colombia officially acknowledges three ethnic minority groups: the Afro-Colombian, indigenous, and
(Rojas et al, 2010) points out the following genetic mixture for fourteen Colombian departments:[2]
Department | Amerindian contribution | European contribution | African contribution |
---|---|---|---|
Antioquia | 35.5% | 56.8% | 7.7% |
Antioquia (Peque) | 64.1% | 31.0% | 4.9% |
Bolívar | 36.4% | 28.7% | 34.9% |
Caldas | 43.2% | 53.6% | 3.2% |
Casanare | 64.9% | 34.7% | 0.4% |
Cauca | 56.4% | 30.8% | 12.8% |
Afro Colombians )
|
21.9% | 27.5% | 50.6% |
Chocó (Mestizos) | 47.9% | 44.8% | 7.3% |
Cundinamarca | 56.3% | 42.7% | 1% |
Huila | 58.4% | 41.6% | 0% |
Magdalena | 41.4% | 38.5% | 20.1% |
Nariño | 63.6% | 35.1% | 1.4% |
Norte de Santander | 50.6% | 43.0% | 6.4% |
Quindío | 52.2% | 44.6% | 3.2% |
Santander | 45.7% | 50.6% | 3.7% |
Valle del Cauca | 42.6% | 38.6% | 18.8% |
Colombia | 48.8% | 40.2% | 11% |
Distribution of racial/ethnic groups geographically
The various groups exist in differing concentrations throughout the nation, in a pattern that to some extent goes back to colonial origins. The
The 1991 National Constitution of Colombia defined Territorial Entities (Entidades Territoriales) as departments, districts, municipalities and indigenous territories. Within an Indigenous Territory Entity (ETI) the people have autonomy in managing their interests, and within the limits of the constitution have the right to manage resources and define taxes required to perform their duties. ETIs are to be defined by the government in conformance with the Organic Law on Land Management. However, this law has yet to be sanctioned so in practice the territories are unregulated.[8]
The Black, Zambo and Mulatto populations have largely remained in the lowland areas on the
The population of the
Social status of racial/ethnic minorities
Since independence both Amerindians and blacks have continued to reside on the outskirts of national life. As a group, however, blacks have become more integrated into the national society and have left a greater mark on it for several reasons. Moreover, the blacks came from different areas of Africa, often did not share the same language or culture, and were not grouped into organized social units on arrival in the New World. Despite slave revolts, no large community of escaped slaves survived in isolation to preserve its African heritage, as did the maroons in Jamaica,[11] except for the village of Palenque de San Basilio, located southeast of Cartagena, which was one of the walled communities called 'palenques', founded by escaped slaves as a refuge in the seventeenth century. Of the many palenques that existed in former times, only the one of San Basilio has survived until the present day and developed into a unique cultural space.[12]
Finally, despite their position on the bottom rung of the social ladder, black slaves often had close relations—as domestic servants—with Spaniards and British and were therefore exposed to Spanish culture much more than were the Amerindians. Thus, blacks became a part of Colombian society from the beginning, adopting the ways of the Spanish that were permitted them and learning their language. By the end of the colonial period, the blacks thought of themselves as Colombians and felt superior to the Amerindians, who officially occupied higher status, were nominally free, and were closer in skin color, facial features, and hair texture to the emerging mestizo mix.[13]
Many blacks left slave status early in Colombian history, becoming part of the free population. Their owners awarded freedom to some, others purchased their liberty, but probably the greatest number achieved freedom by escape. Many slaves were liberated as a result of revolts, particularly in the Cauca valley and along the Caribbean coast. The elimination of slavery began with a free-birth law in 1821, but total emancipation was enacted only in 1851, becoming effective on January 1, 1852.[13]
Those blacks who achieved freedom sometimes moved into Amerindian communities, but blacks and zambos remained at the bottom of the social scale and were important only as a source of labor. Others founded their own settlements, mainly in unsettled lands of the Pacific basin where they were called
In other regions, such as
Afro-Colombians are entitled to all constitutional rights and protections, but they continue to face significant economic and social discrimination. According to the 2005 census, an estimated 74 percent of Afro-Colombians earned less than the
Media
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2022) |
The television comedy Sábados Felices has been criticised for including a blackface character.[15][16]
Immigrants in Colombia
Colombia has received across its history different groups of immigrants.
among others.Colombia was one of early focus of
Many immigrant communities have settled on the Caribbean coast, in particular recent immigrants from the
There are also important communities of
Since 2010 there is a major migration trend of Venezuelans, due to the political and economic situation in Venezuela.[36]
See also
References
- ^ "visibilización estadística de los grupos étnicos". Censo General 2018. Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE). Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ PMID 20734436. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Raza/Etnia a la que pertenece". Latinobarómetro 2023 Colombia. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Grupos étnicos - Información técnica". Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE). Archived from the original on 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
- ^ a b "Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2018". Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE). Retrieved 2021-10-24.
- ^ "Raza/Etnia a la que pertenece". Latinobarómetro 2023 Colombia. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Censo general 2005". Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE). Retrieved 2021-10-24.
- ^ "Entidades Territoriales Indigenas", TIG: Territorio Indigena y Gobernanza (in Spanish), retrieved 2016-07-15
- ^
"Afrocolombianos, población con huellas de africanía" (PDF). Comunidades Negras, Afrocolombianas, Raizales y Palenqueras (in Spanish). Mincultura Gobierno de Colombia. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
- ^ Bushnell & Hudson, p. 88.
- ^ Bushnell & Hudson, pp. 88–89.
- ^ "The Cultural Space of Palenque de San Basilio". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
- ^ a b c Bushnell & Hudson, p. 89.
- ^ a b Bushnell & Hudson, p. 90.
- ^ "Translation – I'm not your Joke". Radio Ambulante. 24 April 2018.
- ^ "Twenty-First Century Blackface : Code Switch". NPR.
- ^ "Conozca a los inmigrantes europeos que se quedaron en Colombia". Revista Diners (in Spanish). 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
- ^ Semana (2019-06-07). "Europeos en Santander: una historia de migraciones". Semana.com Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ^ "Brazil-Arab News Agency – Colombia awakens to the Arab world". 2011-07-06. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ISSN 1147-6753.
- ^ "Convenzioni Inps estere, Fedi sollecita Nuova Zelanda ma anche Cile e Filippine". 2018-02-09. Archived from the original on 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
- ^ "Apuntes sobre la inmigración sirio-libanesa en Colombia". www.nodo50.org. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ^ "News & Events – Irlandeses en Colombia y Antioquia – Department of Foreign Affairs". www.dfa.ie. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ^ "Estos fueron los primeros alemanes en Colombia". Revista Diners (in Spanish). 2019-06-10. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ^ Lozano, Juan Jacobo. "El alemán que impulsó el comercio y el desarrollo en Santander en el siglo XIX". www.radionacional.co. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- S2CID 203515282.
- ^ Tiempo, Casa Editorial El (2019-03-07). "Los palestinos que encontraron un segundo hogar en el centro de Bogotá". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-18.
- ^ Cruz Murillo, Marlon Alberto (2012). "INMIGRANTES SIRIOS Y LIBANESES EN COLOMBIA: Su integración social a través de las actividades económicas entre 1918 y 1950 en las ciudad de Cali" (PDF). Universidad del Valle. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "'Lost Jews' Of Colombia Say They've Found Their Roots". NPR.org. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ Possible paradises: Basque emigration to Latin America by José Manuel Azcona Pastor, P.203
- ^ a b Wabgou, M.; Vargas, D.; Carabalí, J. A. (2012). "Las migraciones internacionales en Colombia. Investigación & Desarrollo, 20(1) 142–167". uninorte.edu.co.
- ^ Vargas Arana, Pilar, and Luz Marina Suaza Vargas. "Los árabes en Colombia: Del rechazo a la integración." (2007).
- ^ "The Arab immigration to Colombia" (in Spanish). nodo50.org. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ^ Bushnell, David; Hudson, Rex A. (2010). The Society and Its Environment; Colombia: a country study (PDF). Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, Washington D.C. pp. 87, 92.
- ^ "The ethnic and cultural diversity of Colombia" (PDF) (in Spanish). pedagogica.edu.co. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
- ^ "Características de los migrantes de Venezuela a Colombia" (PDF). labourosario.com (in Spanish). 2017-08-14.
Works cited
- Bushnell, David and Rex A. Hudson. "Racial distinctions". In Colombia: A Country Study (Rex A. Hudson, ed.). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (2010). Archived February 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.